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December 2011

December 27, 2011

One of the keys to being successful this week is the ability to flip customers who come in for a refund or exchange into making a big purchase. It won't happen with every customer, but it rarely happens at all if you don't try.

The game/contest Flip It makes trying a lot more fun.

The goal of Flip It is to have the largest sale of the day that began with a return or exchange.

I like to make the prize a $20 bill or gift card and then have the prize passed around as one employee tops another. I used to do this back in my Sharper Image days, and I'm convinced some of the salespeople enjoyed taking the prize from a colleague more than the prize itself.

Here's an example of how it works. The first customer of the day comes in with a $20 return, but the salesperson then sells him $60 of additional items. That means the current top Flip It sale is $40. (You have to net out the return or exchange.)

The next customer has a $130 item to exchange, and the salesperson sells her additional items worth $200. The net Flip It sale is $70. He/she now gets to take the cash or gift card from the other salesperson.

Another way to play Flip It is to pay everyone a prize for flipping customers. You could, for example, say that any return or exchange that has a net increase of $100 or more wins a $5 gift card.

The key to flipping the customer is to NOT ask if he/she wants to see something else. Use proactive phrases like, "You have to see these items on sale" or "I have the perfect widget to go with the red one you're exchanging."

While I'm sure I don't have to remind you of this, it's important to make sure trying to flip the customer doesn't have a negative impact on his/her experience. It's all in the passion and enthusiasm you use to move your customer to other products, and remaining keenly aware of how each customer is reacting.

So let me ask, are you and your team successfully flipping returns and exchanges into bigger sales?

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Doug Fleener is a proven retail and customer experience expert that helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit our website or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create extraordinary results.

December 19, 2011

How are you doing? You, not your store, although I'd love to hear about last week's sales. Right now I'm more interested in how you are. I ask because the energy and attitude you as a leader bring this week has a huge impact on your results.

This is the week to be an extraordinary leader.

Retail leaders usually fall into one of these categories at this time of year:

1. The tired leader. If you ask this owner/manager how he's doing he'll tell you how tired he is. If you don't ask how he's doing he'll still find a way to work it into the conversation. Not surprisingly, everyone on the staff is pretty tired too, or at the very least tired of hearing about it from the owner/manager. And of course when everyone is that tired, more opportunities are lost than are created.

2. The stressed-out leader. You can find these owner/managers without ever setting eyes on them. All you have to do is talk to stressed-out staffers. This owner/manager might try to tell you everything is fine, but the short fuse and tense facial expression is a dead giveaway. The stress could result from any number of other reasons, none of which really matter. It all leads to more lost opportunities.

3. The overworked leader. This owner/manager loves to tell anyone who will listen how much he/she is working. I had a manager once who would refuse to take a day off between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then spend every day talking about how she hadn't had a day off! This owner/manager's need to talk about him/herself results in lost opportunities.

4. The overwhelmed leader. While this owner/manager may at first appear to be a stressed-out leader, you can spot them by the lack of leadership and confusion within the team. This manager/owner is working extremely hard but the store is slowly spiraling out of control, taking opportunities out of reach.

I'm the first to admit that at one time or another in my retail career I've been every one these leaders. I also learned from some great mentors to become the fifth type of leader.

5. The crunch-time leader. This leader is far from perfect. As a matter of fact they're just as likely to be tired, stressed-out, overworked, or maybe even overwhelmed, as any of the other leaders. The difference is that they're not showing it.

The crunch-time leader leads. The busier the store, the more she elevates her game. She shows more energy, not less. She's demonstrating more passion and giving out more encouragement to her team. She's keeping everyone focused on the customer and, most importantly, she's keeping it light and fun.

Leaders lead, especially in busy times when the opportunity is there.

So let me ask, which leader will you be this week?

Here's wishing you a Merry Christmas - or Happy Hanukkah - or if you have no holiday preference a Happy Holiday! - Doug

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Doug Fleener is a proven retail and customer experience expert that helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit our website or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create extraordinary results.

December 14, 2011

I recently spoke with a retailer who is disappointed with the performance of one of her key employees. When I asked how she is handling the situation she replied, "I haven't really said much. I don't want to rock the boat this close to Christmas."

I hope your reaction is the same as mine. Rock the boat!

Here's why. A mentor of mine recently explained that people and organizations have a finite amount of energy and focus at their disposal. This energy and focus is used both externally in creating sales and building your community, and internally in dealing with organizational problems, challenges and opportunities.

What he said next really stood out for me: Any additional energy and focus that's required internally is taken away from the external customer side. We may fear rocking the boat during the holidays, but not quickly resolving issues during the holidays will cost you a lot more money than will rocking the boat.

Here's my advice for that retailer and any other owner/manager in the same position. If an employee is falling short of your expectations, address it now. As I've said many times, most employees want to do a good job. They can't improve if you don't let them know what to work on.

Nine times out of ten these conversations go better than we expect. Remember, keep the focus on future behaviors and don't dwell too much on past actions. Keep it positive.Express your support of the employee and be done with it. Take the internal distraction, fix it, and get the energy and focus back on the customer.

Also, don’t forget to praise and thank all of your employees at the end of each day. It’s Showtime!

So let me ask, do you need to rock any boats?

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Doug Fleener is a proven retail and customer experience expert that helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit our website or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create extraordinary results.

December 07, 2011

Can you believe that after this weekend there is only one more full weekend until Christmas?

Every customer who comes into your store offers you the chance to connect, deliver a memorable experience, and win him/her as a customer with the biggest possible sale.

When I talk about making the biggest possible sale, I'm not saying that we should be pushy or try to sell people a bunch of stuff they don't need or want. What I am saying is that by maximizing the relationship you build with your customers, you can help them purchase more of your wonderful products for the people on their list.

Most salespeople believe that the outcome of a sale lies in the customer's motives and actions. I believe that our actions, and the language we use, influence sales as much as anything the customer thinks or does.

Let's go into the weekend assuming that if you use these three tips, you and your colleagues will have a HUGE weekend.

1. Assume that every customer is walking into your store to make a purchase. I know this sounds line a no-brainer, and I bring it up from time to time, but my own shopping experiences remind me that not everyone thinks this way. At 7:30 on Black Friday morning a sales clerk actually asked me if I was out shopping. I felt like responding, "No, I'm playing a round of golf and I think I sliced my shot into your store." Of course I'm out shopping!

And we want to go beyond that initial assumption. Don't just assume the customer is out shopping; assume the customer is walking into your store with his holiday list. With less than three weeks to go and the crowds only getting bigger every day, why wouldn't a customer be out buying?

If you're assuming that your customer is ready to buy more than he thinks he is, remind him of the benefits in buying now. (Shorter line, better selection, faster gift wrap, getting to work with you as their sales associate, etc.)

2. Use assumptive language to maximize your opportunity. Of course, this goes hand in hand with assuming the customer is coming into your store to buy for their list. Assumptive language conveys to your customer that you are ready to help her make a purchase, and helps her picture the people on her list receiving and using the gifts she gives. It also does the same if she is buying something for herself.

Try these key assumptive words:

Will - "You will really enjoy this" or "This will look beautiful on her."

When - "When he opens this" or "When she puts it on for the first time."

Use or Wear - "When you use this you'll be amazed at how well it works" or "When you wear this I'm sure you'll just love it." (Come to think of it, Love is another great assumptive word.)

3. Assume your customer will buy multiple products for multiple people on his list. As I've said many times, let the customer decide when he is done. Here are some examples of using assumptive language to continue the sale

"Here are the matching earrings" instead of "Would you like to see the matching earrings?"

"This smaller one is a perfect compliment to this one." instead of "If you're interested, there is a smaller version."

"Who else is on your list?" instead of "Will there be anything else?"

Remember, it's only rude if you keep showing the customer products when she says she is ready to leave. Give yourself a goal of allowing every customer to make the decision to go to the register.

So let me ask, are you ready for a wildly successful and assumptive weekend?

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Doug Fleener is a proven retail and customer experience expert that helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit our website or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create extraordinary results.